Talk:Timeline of events (original trilogy)/@comment-31.200.172.118-20150419194717
Very interesting background and is a warning to show what could be possible. Back when the first Mad Max was made, a near future where oil was scarce was imagined. Society still existed but resource scarcities and violent crime threatened it. What follows in the second film explains how warfare and crime spiralled out of control in the timespan before the 2 films and was getting worse. The biggest fear in 1980/81 of course was a war starting somewhere that would suck in the USA and USSR. Just before the second film, the Iran-Iraq war started. The above info implies this spread onto Saudi Arabia (with the assumption Iran had defeated Saddam). The probable scenario would be that Saudi aimed to block a Shia revolution being exported. The US backed up Saudi and the USSR then backed Iran. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as Iraq are left in ruins and oil is either not available or too dangerous to extract. This leads to political instability firstly in the affected countries with the Iranian, Iraqi and Arabian people uprising to topple their governments. The chaos spreads to Turkey, Europe and eventually Australia. Many countries end up as military dictatorships and align to one or other superpower. Others collapse. The two superpowers remain the only stable countries and vy for control of remaining world resources. Wars continue with old tensions rising or escalating in Yugoslavia, Belgium, the Middle East, Spain, the UK, Ireland and Germany among others. Eventually the 2 superpowers go to war. It starts off conventional with neither side using nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, crime is rising with a flood of drugs coming in poorly controlled borders. Crazed drugged up biker gangs who fear nothing become common and are taking advantage of the underfunded police forces. Australia is particularly blighted by this. The only source of employment in Australia and most countries is to join the army so many do. Most go to the Middle East where the US is fighting against militants who are supported by Russia. Russian forces fight US forces in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and are defeated. The US in control of Iran plans to invade the USSR. The Toecutter, formerly a low level drug dealer and biker, has carved out a huge empire in the lawless Australian countryside. He sees himself as a rebel leader and go to war against the police. Mad Max 1 happens. Other gangs formed and tried to emulate the Toecutter. As more and more veterans of the war returned, often radicalised and with no belief in their nations anymore, they joined these gangs and gave them a military purpose. One of these was Humungus, a veteran of the war and a former cop. He was not known to Max and had left for the war by the time of the first film. He was badly injured and may have lost family. He went on to become the dictator of large parts of Australia thus emulating the Toecutter. Mad Max 2 happens. Things are generally not looking good worldwide. Yugoslavia, Central America, Northern Ireland, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Middle East all see their conflicts escalate into all out war. The Russians are selling nuclear weapons to Middle East militants, the Provisional IRA, ETA, Serbian nationalists, Cuba, Vietnam, and others who use them against Western targets. The US retaliates and nukes strategic parts of the USSR. The US and USSR launch nukes to hit each others' last remaining oil reserves and then each others' remaining cities. Nuclear winter, a complete breakdown of nation states as we known them and resource shortages mean that many die and dictators and criminals take over in the now primitive world. These are hardly conventional nations but are rather 'towns' where communities live. New laws are established and disputes are usually dealt with immediately. One such example is Bartertown, which is made up of remnants from old biker gangs. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome happens. Another example will feature in Fury Road with Immortan Joe's organisation. What seems to have happened is that the crazy gangs became more organised and replaced governments. We can see a politicised element to all the gangs dating back even to the Toecutter's but it became really apparent later. Now, what will become of things in the next film? The theme seems to be focused more on water scarcity this time. One theme I notice is the bad guys seem to have access to things the ordinary people do not. They are well organised and all seem to be military trained. The new film's baddie is an ex army colonel formally called Joe Moore.